Like November
by Purplerave
Summary: Beast boy has been struggling with keeping his animal instincts in check for the past few weeks. Every day becomes a struggle for him, especially when it comes to keeping his cool in front of the resident empath. But today, might be the day he breaks the chains and there may be no going back to how things used to be between the two of them.(BBXRAE, with a sprinkle of RXStar).


Ch1. A Cup of Tea

He couldn't explain it. Everything, every little thing she did caught his attention. How she walked, how she meditated, even how she opened the damn fridge door. His eyes followed her. He knew she could feel his eyes on her by the way she would glance up and look around the room, nonchalantly. Most of the time, he didn't even know he was staring until after he had been caught. All of that started about a month ago.

They fell into a pattern that he enjoyed. He would encourage her outside of her comfort zone and she would either flat out reject his suggestions, engage in playful banter (most often this included "playful" threats of bodily harm), or she would entertain his request. He actually got her to eat lunch at a new vegan restaurant downtown. Albeit, he had asked for her to go with him instead of going alone and ordering take out, but that's a minor detail.

In between all of that, the weirdness began. He managed to find a way to deal with his new habit by stomping on his urges like a suburban housewife would a rat. He spent copious amounts of time in the gym to release extra energy and keep him occupied. All those extra workout sessions took time away from hanging out with the rest of the team, but it needed to be done for the sake of his sanity. He had successfully quelled his instincts for a couple weeks now, until this very moment.

Beast boy was on the couch of the common room. The T.V barking at him as he tried to focus on the screen. He made the mistake of glancing to his right where she sat watching tv with her favorite mug of tea in hand. The cup was dark blue with a wide mouth. It had a thick handle with the words "Alaska" carved boldly in white on the side and an outline of a polar bear to the right of the text. Raven took this mug everywhere and was meticulous in its cleaning ritual.

She gingerly brought the tea cup to her mouth. Her lips came together into a pout that would ignite kindling for a bonfire. They slowly parted, creating a small 'o' as she anticipated the inevitable contact. Beast boy's mouth felt parched. He had no idea what channel the T.V was on but he hardly ever got the chance to see her absorbed in anything other than a book. He watched as a drop of tea stood at the precipice, asking for a taste. He couldn't take his eyes off of it. Raven pulled away to glance at the rim and gently brought the cup to her mouth, her pink tongue protruding slightly, contrasting sharply with the dark blue color of the cup. She wrapped her lips around the edge to cover the droplet, making very faint, intermittent, suckling noises as she drank the hot liquid.

 _Oh good Lord,_ He thought. Every moment watching her was drawn out to the last second. He swallowed the lump in his throat. It was the most unintentional erotic display he had ever seen.

He pressed his palms against his face as he shot out of his seat, hitting the coffee table violently. Raven stared at him in quiet shock. He jumped back and started whispering curses under his breath while rubbing his right shin. "I'm sorr-"

"What is your problem?" She asked hotly. "Either get over it or talk to me about it because it is getting difficult to ignore your tumultuous mood swings."

She stood and turned her back to him, but before she could walk away, he reached out catching her by the waist. He moved forward, pressing her back against him in a tight embrace. He leaned into her hair and took a deep breath, the violet strands caressed his face. Raven felt his heat through her tank top. Her shoulders began to relax. Was she leaning into him? She couldn't tell.

"You wanna know my problem?" He whispered. The growl at the end of his question seized her chest.

He reached around and gripped the cup of tea over her hand. Raven noticed the distinct contrast between their skin tones as she watched his fingers flex around the cup and over her hand. The warmth of his breathe tickled her ear as he spoke.

"I envy this cup." He said in a voice that sounded somewhat like a whine. He leaned back to release her.

She immediately took a step forward and spun around to face him. Apprehension crossed Beast Boy's face as he realized what he had done. He placed the cup down on the coffee table, and gestured for her to sit back on the couch. Raven remained standing.

"I'm sorry. I'm going through something personal…I just need to clear my head" He said. He moved away from her then, and she released the breath she had been holding. She turned her head and gave him a wary glance. He could tell she was preparing for another unexpected attack on her personal space.

"I promise I'll keep my distance for awhile, I just needed a…hug. Ya know? friends hug." He chuckled nervously as he stood and gave a shy smile. "I'll let you finish your tea."

He quietly made his way out of the common room. His behavior continued to puzzle her. But one thing she knew for sure. That was not just a simple hug.

She gingerly grasped the mug in both of her hands, staring at it for a moment before bringing it to her lips. The warm liquid did not have the expected calming effect. She reached up and pressed her fingers against her cheek. She was warm. Was she flushed? Raven stood up and began heading towards the door. She needed to calmly analyze this event in the safety of her room.

After passing through the sliding door to her bedroom, she took another small sip of her tea before placing it on the dresser. This time it gave the familiar reassuring warmth she desired. She took her usual place above her bed in the floating lotus position and began chanting her mantra, opening a link to her emotions. Once she felt the connection established she opened her eyes and floated down onto her bed. She found this method of getting in touch with the aspects of her mind much more convenient than traveling directly into Nevermore. Plus, she could disconnect the line if they got too rowdy.

"Hi, everyone." She greeted them and they responded in a chorus of their own greetings.

"I assume everyone knows why I am here"

"We do" Knowledge responded. She became the appointed spokesperson after a few too many heated discussions among her other aspects. Since, she is the embodiment of Raven's reason and intellect, it was an obvious choice. Raven had come to the understanding that her emotions encompass other facets. Apathy encompasses facets of lazy, and rude; moods she experienced on a continuum overlaid with the other emotions continuums.

"Knowledge, let me hear your thoughts on the matter." Raven stood to grab her tea.

"This was very different from his usual behavior. We have noticed a change in his speech, body language, and general mood towards us for weeks, but I believe this event is very indicative of a change in our interactions with him." Knowledge replied.

"Do you think this change may affect our friendship negatively?" Raven asked.

"I believe it could go either way. Depending on how we handle it."

"What are the others opinions?"

"Well…our views are divided. Happy, Bravery, and Affection suggest going to him and offering reassurance and support in…various forms."

"I'm sure." Raven responded flatly.

" Fear would rather keep our distance. Apathy suggests ignoring the event as an anomaly. Rage wants to punish him for the unexpected violation of our personal space." Knowledge continued

"Figures."

"It is only natural for us to be confused, this is the first time that he ever showed us that sort of intimacy" said Knowledge.

"This is not new. Beast boy has shared with us his personal thoughts and feelings before." Raven replied.

"Yes, but I was referring to the hug as being intimate. Physical intimacy is something we do not normally experience." said Knowledge. Raven could feel Affection and Fear stirring as she recalled the hug.

"Yes, that explains why Fear and Affection have such a strong reaction to the event. However, there is a reason why we abstain from intimacy. Intimate contact encourages…other aspects of Affection to emerge which is fairly difficult for us to handle due to our heritage." Raven responded. Raven recalled the hormonal dreams she started experiencing has her body reached maturity last year. They were erotic and twisted. Those dreams were not something she wanted to go through again.

"I can't help it! it's part of who we are. I still say we should explore more. I think we would be fine if we took the right precautions" Affection stated.

Raven understood her frustration. Not being able to explore a major aspect of being human is disheartening, but necessary to ensure that her demonic heritage didn't twist Affection into something…dark.

"I know," Raven replied as she rubbed the side of her temples "but we aren't ready."

"Beast boy could help us! He likes our company anyway, and he has been paying a lot of attention to us lately" Affection urged.

"Just because he gave us a hug does not mean he would be willing to be…physically intimate with us just for the sake of exploring a fallible and dangerous aspect" Raven was growing tired of having the same discussion with her.

"But it wasn't just a hug! It was a hug from behind and he wrapped his arm around our waist, bringing our back to his chest. I'm pretty sure he smelled our hair! And we could feel every inch of-"

"We have gotten off topic. I called this meeting to discuss what his actions could mean and what our next step should be, not how intimate the hug was." Raven blushed as she made her way back to her bed.

"So you admit it _was_ intimate" Affection said slyly.

"Knowledge" Raven said the name through gritted teeth.

"I suggest we quell his worries. He probably thinks we are angry with him. This will also give us an opportunity to glean more information about his personal issue and offer assistance" Knowledge quickly chimed in.

"I agree. We need to gather some information in order to address this change to our dynamic" During their conversation, Raven felt Rage settle. I suppose she was not as angry as she thought, or Happy, Brave, and Affection wrestled her down to a more reasonable level.

With a few chorused farewells, Raven closed her eyes and ended the connection. She took a moment to rest on her bed, reflecting on the events that led her here. She recalled the event, analyzing the actions that led to it and the emotions it evoked in an effort to glean any sort of understanding. She could not deny that she felt an attraction towards Beast boy. She would be blind not to notice how he's grown into his boyish charm and developed a build that she often and covertly appreciated. However, this slight attraction was starting to become a hindrance on her balanced state of mind. She did not want to entertain feelings deeper than friendship for the shape shifter. With those feelings came ideas related to physical intimacy and that usually led to risky behavior for half-demons.

She glanced over at the tea cup on her dresser before looking towards the ceiling.

"Why would he envy a cup?" She wondered aloud.

 _I'm the biggest idiot on the planet_

Beast boy berated himself as he continued to do laps in the Tower's pool. He was mortified at what he did. He didn't think, he just reacted and that always led him into troubled waters, especially when it came to Raven. He remembered how he embraced her. Her smell haunted his senses the most. He hardly ever had the opportunity to get such a concentrated dose. He pushed off the wall hard, his flexibility allowing him to dolphin kick for nearly half the length of the pool.

What the hell is going on with him? He was acting like a pubescent school boy, not to take anything away from Raven's beauty. She is one of the top ten most attractive heroines in the country, according to Jump magazine. He had worked so hard on improving his discipline. How could he invade her privacy without a second thought?

He swam more aggressively, arms slapping into the water like concrete on glass. He had always found her to be pretty in a reserved mysterious way, ever since the first day they met. He just wasn't sure if his desire for her ran any deeper than animal instinct. His rhythm faltered as he remembered the way she felt against his body.

Beast boy jerked his head up above the water as he came to the edge of the pool. He looked up at the overhead lights, panting heavily. He needed to get a grip on himself, physically and figuratively. He shook the water from his eyes as he gazed at the choppy ripples he caused. Placing his palms on the edge of the pool, Beast boy coiled himself to push his body out of the water.

"You should really use the ladder" Raven said, approaching the edge.

Beast boy let out a gargled yelp as his left hand slipped off the tile, falling backwards into the blue depths. He coughed as he breached the water's surface. Raven stood a few feet from the edge of the pool, her gaze seemingly expressionless, but he knew she was amused by the slight turn of her lips. Damn those lips were enticing.

"You really shouldn't sneak up on people" He replied as he quickly averted his eyes and prepared to hoist himself out of the water once again.

"I was walking directly towards you," She replied.

Beast boy ignored her statement as he pushed himself up onto the tile. His arms tensed as he leaned forward to keep his balance in order to give his knee enough room to come up to his chest and rest on the edge. A rush of water fell from his body as he did so. Raven noticed how his muscles rippled across his shoulders and upper back, she immediately moved her gaze. She did not want to get caught staring. That was his forte.

"I was hoping to talk to you," Raven said as Beast boy finished getting out of the pool.

"About earlier?" He asked while rubbing his neck.

"Yes, about earlier."

"I know you're angry about the sudden invasion of your privacy. I apologized, didn't I?" He asked. Then he realized that Raven was wearing her bathing suit. "Besides it looks like you're getting ready to take a dip. Why don't we talk about it some other time?" He began walking away, towards the diving board. Raven was quick to follow.

"Because I had planned to do this the next time we were alone. It won't take long" she replied.

Beast boy sighed. He knew he owed her this conversation. He was just not sure he wanted to have it while she was in her one piece sapphire blue bathing suit. It was a simple sports swimsuit, but the form fitting fabric left little to the imagination. She stood, leaning on her left leg, hip jutted out to the side with her arms crossed underneath her chest and her eyes staring at him expectantly. Damn that bathing suit, flattering her eyes like that. At least, she isn't wearing that bikini that Starfire wanted to buy for her instead. He simultaneously thanked the gods and cursed his luck.

"Alright, let me grab my towel" He replied.

After taking a seat on the bench where he placed his towel, he vigorously rubbed his head with the soft fabric, hoping to subdue the growing urge to reach out and hold her again. Raven sat a good four feet away from him on the bench, just out of range of his aggressive head rubbing.

"I'm not angry about what happened," She said.

"You're not?" Beast boy stopped rubbing and pulled his towel off of his head to get a better look at her.

"No. But next time you require a hug, please ask. I'm not the best person to hug so…suddenly"

"Ask first. Got it," He replied. "I'm glad you're not upset about it."

"Me too," she replied quietly.

"What?"

"I asked what is bothering you?" She quickly covered up her verbal slip. She hadn't expected to let the hug incident go without some anger geared towards him, but even more so, she didn't expect to feel pleased with it. "Was there something I did that hurt you?"

"No, nothing new anyway, but my back is still sore from the last time you threw me into the bay," He grinned.

"I'm showing concern for your mental well being. Please don't make me regret it"

"Yea, I'm just not sure I can talk about it right now," He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he looked towards the pool. "It's just uh…a guy thing."

"I see," Raven nodded as she replied.

"All I can say is that...I feel like a new born puppy tumbling around in the dark. Excited to experience life but afraid to run into a wall." He looked at Raven to find her slowly raising an eyebrow. He let a nervous chuckle. "Sorry, I don't know how to explain myself."

"You don't have to apologize, let me know if there is anything I can do."

"You'll be the first," He replied with his boyish grin. Raven quickly stood, turning towards the diving board. She could feel her countenance warm.

"Excuse me," she said as she walked away to start her laps. Beast boy watched the sway of her hips as she walked. He averted his gaze and caught the movement of her hair as it shifted across the back of her neck giving him small glimpses of her skin. He groaned. Letting him hug her with no harmful consequences, and then coming here and showing concern for his well being in a bathing suit, she had no clue what she was doing to him.

 _I have a very strong attraction to her. But does this mean I have feelings for her?_ He asked himself. A part of him worried that he was confusing his animal instincts with actual feelings.

A week passed after their discussion at the pool. A week since he finally acknowledged his "latent" attraction for Raven. Coupled with their history of life and death situations and their few profound personal moments, it's not surprising to develop romantic feelings for her. But he knew that as soon as he admitted to it, he would have to deal with another huge decision.

 _Should I do something about it?_ He thought.

Beast boy took a moment to lie on the floor of his bedroom. His limbs spread out like a starfish across the carpet. She was on his mind, exclusively. All Raven, all the time. It was blissful and tortuous. He recalled how he agreed to tell her if there was anything she could do to help him with his personal problem.

 _How ironic,_ He thought.

He sat up, bringing his knees up to squat on the floor. He turned to look at the green and white baseball fit T-shirt resting on his bed. It was a shirt Raven had given to him. He grabbed it with a sigh. The shirt had been a gift from a couple years ago. It was big on him when he first tried it on. He thought she hadn't spent that much time in figuring out his size. But now, the shirt fit like a glove, complimenting his physic in the subtle way it tightened over his chest and shoulders whenever he moved his arms. Maybe she had known he would grow into it. Beast boy stood up, having decided that he couldn't ignore his stomach any longer and made his way into the kitchen.

As the sliding doors opened to the common room, He took a deep breath and surveyed the room. He knew she was in there before he even finished turning the corner down the hall. It was uncanny how he unconsciously attuned his senses to her.

 _The kitchen,_ he thought as he walked down the steps.

"Hey Rae" He called out before turning to face the fridge. Her head peered around the large pantry door that was hiding her figure.

"How did you know?" She asked as she stood up to her full height.

"Know what?" Beast boy replied as he placed a container of spinach, tofu, baby tomatoes, and blueberries in his left arm before grabbing the orange juice with his right hand, closing the fridge door with his elbow. He unceremoniously dumped the items on the kitchen counter.

"That it was me." She, closed the pantry door with a box of lightly salted crackers in one hand and a book in the other. She stepped towards the stove, and placed the items down on the counter in order to prep her tea.

"It's kind of hard not to" He replied distractedly as he reached for a large bowl on the top shelf of the upper cabinet. Raven paused and turned to face the shape shifter.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

The bite in her tone caught Beast boy's full attention. He immediately looked at her over his extended right arm, bowl in hand. Foot meet mouth. He retracted his arm.

"I did not mean anything offensive by it" He said waving his hands around frantically. "It's just you're…I mean you have a…" He looked away. Raven finished placing the kettle on the stove and turned to Beast boy with her arms crossed. She had no inclination of letting him out of this one. Beast boy cleared his throat and placed the bowl on the counter near the stove. He turned his body slightly away from her, prepared to run if his answer offended the powerful empath.

"It's your scent," He said, uncomfortably. "I can tell who is in a room before I get there by their smell. Some people are easier to discern than others. "

"Well, that's not surprising," Raven uncrossed her arms

"You're not mad?" he said very quietly.

"Why would I be?" She responded.

"Because I thought you would consider it an invasion of privacy" He moved towards her and leaned against the island, facing her.

"Your sense of smell is part of you. I doubt it's something you can stop doing at will. It doesn't make sense to be upset over something that is part of your powers" She said. She turned her head to look at him then.

"You smell like November" He blurted out. One. Two. Three seconds was a long space of silence. To Beast boy, it felt like eternity. But for some reason, he didn't feel like hiding the truth. He felt liberated by it.

Raven failed to fight the slight blush heating her cheeks.

"It's the leaves. After they change color in the park and fall from the trees and a cool, soft wind comes floating by carrying a forecast of rain. It's like freshly turned earth after a light rain. It catches my attention gently and when it does, it makes colors more vibrant" He continued. Their eyes were locked. He inhaled deeply and Raven watched as his nostrils flared slightly. Beast boy didn't even realize he was stepping towards her. It was like he was being pulled in by an invisible force.

"But It can vary slightly depending on what you do, what you eat, how you may feel. Like, during combat practice, it changes into a deep sea breeze. " He couldn't stop his damnable mouth. But he wanted to tell her every wonderful thought he had ever had about her. She kept staring at him, but there was a shift in her eyes and her lips were parted. Raven was surprised at the sudden change in Beast Boy's tone. His voice was low, but it rang clearly in her ears. He moved deliberately slow holding deeply onto her lavender orbs. It was ethereal and his rapture in describing her scent sent a shiver across her skin.

His nostrils flared again.

"When you drink your tea, It becomes a little more…flowery, a bit sweeter" Beast Boy took another step closer. He was close enough that he had to tilt his head down slightly to keep his eyes on hers.

"I think that may be my favorite one so far" He said.

Raven could feel her face heat up like a furnace at his last statement. Her breathing became shallow as a prick of adrenaline entered her blood stream. She immediately felt a small fire in the pit of her stomach spread down her navel and into her toes. His gaze held a depth that she did not understand but she wanted nothing more than to dive into it. She glanced at his lips, when did they get so close?

Beast boy noticed how she pursed her mouth and curled the bottom lip inward. It was a nervous tick of hers, to bite her lip. He found it absolutely enticing. How the hell was he supposed to turn away now?

Wait, there was something different. Beast boy closed his eyes, breathing through his nose. Her scent was changing. He kept his eyes closed, unconsciously leaning forward. He was so close that his exhale caused her hair to move away from her face. It was tangy, yet salty-sweet, like a hint of salted caramel mixed with a blend of rosemary, peppermint, and frankincense. He took another deep breath in, raising his head as he reached the height of his breath and slowly exhaled from his mouth. It was intoxicatingly delicious. He opened his eyes, his gaze held a distant look for a moment, before bringing himself back to her countenance. His eyes looked slightly different to her. They weren't a pure emerald green, there were darker flecks hidden in the iris, like the shade from an oak tree. She's never seen them this close before.

Raven couldn't look away as another shudder ran through her. What was happening? She felt an overriding excitement and a tremble of fear as he let his senses take her in. He literally cornered her against the kitchen counter, and she couldn't decide if she should throw him into another dimension or see what he would do next. It took her less than a second to decide. She _needed_ to see what he would do next.

"Raven," He said in a low raspy voice. She wanted to hear him say her name like that again.

He placed his hands on the edges of the counter against either side of her waist. He took another deep breath. He could feel the strong pull within his instincts to take her right there in the kitchen. "Your scent has changed," He spoke, understanding dawned on him. She was aroused, right now, by him. Whoa.

He knew he should probably back off before she realized the level of sexual frustration he held could fuel a swim team through the Arctic Ocean. But he didn't want to hide it. She was the flame and he was the moth. He couldn't get nearly as close as he wanted, but damn it all if he didn't at least try.

Raven did not like the playful smirk that was gracing his lips. Like he sniffed out a well kept secret. She couldn't tell if she was frustrated by his sudden confidence or with herself for unknowingly giving something away. She needed to gain control of this situation.

She pushed back off the counter, and placed her outstretched fingers on his chest, intending to push him back. She needed space, and he was definitely crowding her. She kept eye contact as she felt the spike of warmth run through her fingertips. She pushed him towards the kitchen's island, until he was backed into it. Her fingers slid up until her entire palm was placed on his chest.

Once she noticed how his eyes dilated at her touch, she felt the heat below her stomach begin flaring. A low vibration was coming from where her hand was placed, was he purring? Then she realized she liked it, and wanted more of it. Oh boy, plot twist.

She welcomed the sensual desire as it slowly came to fruition in her consciousness as if a morning sunrise waking the earth. She knew in that moment that he desired her, with an intense focus that would rival the most accomplished scholar. She could feel it coming off of him, wave, after wave. Why hadn't she noticed this before? And she wanted his intimate attentions with a thirst only known to those trapped in a desert.

She raised her eyes and smiled, a hint of demure playfulness gracing her eyes.

"Tell me. What do you think?" She asked

She knew. She knew he wanted her and she just sent him an invitation. Holy shit. Was this a dream? If so, he could sleep forever to live in this moment. He inched closer until he could feel her breath against his lips. He watched her and focused on any indication for him to stop. She closed her eyes and that's when he seized her into a searing kiss. It jolted through their lips, and traveled down the spine. The barriers between them shattered.

He breathed her in as she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. She placed herself between his legs and ran her fingers across the nape of his neck and into his hair.

She was fervent in keeping her lips pressed against his, pulling him in for more as she ran her tongue lightly against his bottom lip. She released his head and brought her hands down to explore the plains of his chest. When did he get so defined? One hand gripped his shirt like a life line while the other wrapped around his waist. His back rippled under her finger tips.

He lifted her with ease and turned around to place her on the kitchen island, he wanted to feel more. Her legs parted to allow his body to press against her. Her breath caught in her throat as he pressed his hands against her lower back. Their lips were magnetic. Their breathing labored, and their skin prickled when Beast boy's hand traveled down her thigh and gripped underneath it, right above the knee. A slow moan escaped Ravens throat. It was the most beautiful sound Beast boy had ever heard.

It was good. Better than good. It was the solution to end world hunger type of good. It stole his consciousness and changed his perception of the world around him. He never wanted this dream to end.

"THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?!" Cyborg's voice shook the bay view windows.

Raven held a death grip on Beast boy's shirt as they jerked their faces apart, staring at each other. Beastboy's hands were frozen. Confusion, apprehension, and the blood drained from his face. Raven imagined that she may have held a similar look judging from the surprise that showed in the arch of his brows. They both turned their head to the common room doors, still gripping onto each other. Starfire and Robin walked around the robotic man and immediately stopped mid step, taking in the situation. Shock, confusion, and curiosity crossed their faces in a few seconds. Then Starfire's eyes lit up, a sign that she was going to explode with excitement in any moment.

"Uhh, We are-" Beastboy was cut off by the kettle's whistle. Raven used her powers to turn the stove off. She turned her face away from her teammates and noticed that she still had her hands wrestled into the front of Beast Boy's shirt.

"About to drink some tea. You guys want some?" He smiled sheepishly. Raven buried her face into his shoulder.

"Oh Azar" She sighed and quickly engulfed them in her powers. The two of them disappeared from the common room, leaving their teammates speechless at the door.

 _Author's Note: Let me know what you think, I know it's been awhile since I posted anything (huge understatement), but I'm always open to feedback. I can't promise when Chapter 2 will be up, but hopefully this will tide you over for a bit. Be warned, the next chapter will have a citrusy taste to it!_

 _My previous fics are in serious need of editing, so please don't be too cruel if you decide to check them out. For those of you who are fans of Vulnerable, I would very much like to continue that story, but I've come to a writer's block (for the past few years lol) and so I think the best thing for me to do is to go back and edit the existing chapters and see if that helps. Till next time!_


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